Manufacture of spikes and machine therefor



2 Sheets-Sheet l.

H. GREER.

(No Model.)

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MANUFACTURH 0F SPIKES AND MACHINE THERBPOR No. 308,251. S l

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v1 m l i( l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(Nvo Model.)

H. GRBBR.

MANUPAGTURE of SPIKBSIAND MAGHINE THBRBFOB..

No. 308,251. Patented Nov. 18,A 1884.

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HOVARD GREER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MANUFACTURE OF SPIKES AND MACHINE THEREFOR.

I ECLPEEEQII forming part of Letters Patent No. 308,251, dated November 18, 1884.-.

Application filed December 3, 1883. (Nomodcl.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, HOWARD Gimme, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented or discovered a new and usef'ul Improvement in Manufacture of Railroad-Spikes and Machinery therefor; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and

exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this speciiication, in whichlike letters indicating like parts- Figure l is a front elevation of a machine provided with my improved dies, said .dies being shown separated for feeding in a blank. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the dies in a closed position. Fig. 3 is a similar view of dies for cut-ting two spikes from a double blank. Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views of the workingfaces of the d ies for cutting a single spike. Figs. 6 and 7 are perspective views of the workin g faces ofthe dies for cutting the double blank. Fig. S is a perspective view of the single blank. Fig. 9 isy a similar view ot' the double blank. Fig. l0 is a perspective view of the completed spike.

My invention relates to certain improvements in the manufacture of spikes, such as are employed in securing the rails of railwaytracks, in which I propose to use, by preference, Bessemer or open-hearth steel or steel rails or crop ends thereof, though iron may be employed7 if so desired; but the granular structure of steel enables'it to be employed more advantageously, since, in the absence of iiber, the direction of the line of cut is immaterial, and hence Iwill describe myinvention with particular reference to the use of steel therein. Freni such material I first produce, by the ordinary or any suitable mode ofworking, the blank or bar, of any desired length, and having the shape substantially as represented in the drawings, wherein A represents the blank, which is made with a central part, b, of the thickness or approximately the thickness, equal to one side of the spike-shank, and c represents a rib of approximately the size and shape in cross-section which it is desired to give to the overlapping spike-head, and c represents a rib rolled on the opposite side of the same edge of the blank, for purposes presently to be stated. The opposite edge of the blank or bar is made with bevels e e, of substantially the form and taper which it is de sired to ,give to the spike-point. The blank or bar thus formed I propose to cut by transverse cuts parallel with each other into spikeblanks, and that part of the rib c appertaining to each blank so cut I swage or compress in such manner that it shall expand onto and fill out the lateral sides of the-spike-head, so as to make on each side ofthe head the projecting ears s, such as are requiredI in order that the head may be conveniently caught by the usual claw-bar for the purpose of drawing the spike, when desired. These lines of cut are represented bythe dotted lines an in Figs. 8 and 9. To do this work of shearing the blank and swaging-up the ears s, I employ a pair of dies, B BQ suitably shaped for this work, and mount them in any suitable machine, one such being represented in the drawings, where D represents the housings and D' represents the plunger or piston or die-carrier, adapted to be moved up and down by an eccentric, d, operated by power suitably applied to the shaft R. On the plunger or die-carrier D', I secure the upper die, B, and make the contrary or lower die, B', stationary on the foundation of the machine, and arrange the dies in such position that the upper or moving die, B, may operate with a shearing cut across the edge of the lower die, B. rIhe lower face of the upper die, B, is, as represented in the drawings, made to correspond in shape and size with the headed side ofthe spike-blank, and the lower die is shaped to correspond with the shape of the opposite side ofthe blank, or with a suitable cavity to receive the rib c. The width of the face of the upper die, B, in the direction of the line of feed, is equal to the width of the spike-blank to be cut oii', or equal to one side of the shank b, and at such distance terminates in the vertical wall g, which operates as a stop in eifectin g pro per length of feed between the shearing strokes of the upper die. In this wall I cut a groove, g, at such point and for such depth that a portion of the metal of the rib o, when pressed therein, may iiow up or into such groove, and so form one of the ears of the completed spike; and in the adjacent face of the other die, B, I make a like groove or depression, h, of suitable size and depth to form by the pressure ofthe metal therein the opposite ear, s, of the spike-head. Along the inner wall of the lower die,B, I make a ledge,

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o, which projects forward beneath the worling-faces of the upper die, B, a distance equal to the width of blank cut oh", and give to the upper die, B, such length of motion or stroke that it will not only cut off the blank at each downward movement, butv will also carry the blank so cut off down with it and grip it tightly between the working-faces of the upper die, B, on the top surface of the ledge i', and for this purpose the ledge 1' and the upper face of the upper die should ata point corresponding with the point of the spike-blank have the proper bevel r. The remainder of the working-face of the ledge 1' should he straight or otherwise conform to the rear face to be given 'to the spike, except that at the point immerib c resting in the groove f of the lower die. The end of the blank or bar is fed forward until its end strikes the wall g, and the downstroke of the operating-die B then shears off the blank, and with its downward motion grips the point and shank thereof tightly on the ledge r, and at the same time the rib o, coming into the groove r2, meets with such resistance that the larger portion of the ribs c is pressed laterally out into the grooves g and h., so as thereby to form the ears s on the sides of the spikehead, and the remainder of the metal remaining in the groove r2 forms the lip s of the spike-head.

It will be understood of course that the blank is to be properly heated before being fed into the machine, so that this compress or swaging action -on the rib c may thereby be facilitated.

The upper or feeding face, Z, of the lower die is constructed to conform with the lower side of the blank, so as to properly guide said blank when being fed between the dies, In Figs. 3, 6, and 7, I have shown the same construction of dies provided with grooves, except that they are duplicated so as to cut two spike-blanks point to point, and finish them at the same operation, the spikes being severed by the projections o, formed by the meeting ofthe bevels o".

In so far as relates to the form or forms of blank herein shown and described, the same is not claimed herein, as it will form the subject-matter of another application, to be filed in due time.

In an application, No. 113,387, filed December 3, 1883, I have described and claimed a machine for forming the lateral ears on a spike-head by means of a heading-die moving in a plane parallel with the length of the spike; but in the machine described and claimed herein the lateral ears are formed by the compressive action of a die moving at right angles to the body of the spike.

I herein claim as my inventionl. The die B, having a feeding-face, l, conformed by a groove and bevel to the shape of the blank to be operated on and a ledge beneath the same, and on the shearing sidev thereof grooved, as at r2, and also beveled and having also a groove, l1., in the adjacent wall, in combination with a reciprocating shearing-die, B, having a compressing -face, also grooved and beveled, and having also a groove, g', in the vertical wall thereof, substantially as described.

2. The die B, provided with the vertical wall g, having therein the groove g', opposite the head of the blank on one side thereof, in combination with the die B, provided with the groove h, opposite the head portion of the blank and on the other side thereof, substantially as set forth.

3. The die B, provided' with the vertical wall g, having therein the groove g', opposite the head of the blank on one side thereof, in

combination with the die B', having the ledge r, and the groove h, opposite the head portion of the blank and on the other side thereof, and having also the groove r, located at the back of the head, substantially as set forth.

4. Ihe herein-described method of manufacturing spikes, which consists in rolling or forging a blank of approximately the size and shape in cross-section of the finished spike, cutting said blank into spike-blanks by a series of parallel cuts in suitable dies, and then finally forming said spike by compression between suitable-formed faces on the same dies, and simultaneously and by the same com- IOS) pression forcing laterally outward or expressing a portion of the metal to form side lips on the head, substantially as set forth.

5. In the manufacture of spikes from transversely-cut blanks, the method of forming the side ears, s, on the spike-head by swaging a portion of the metal c, provided for the purpose on the back of the head,laterally into suitable grooves provided for the purpose, substantially as s et forth.

(i. In the manufacture of spikes from transversely-cut blanks, the method of forming the side ears, s. on the lspike-head, and the lip s on the back thereof,by swaging a portion of the metal c, provided for the purpose on the back of the head,laterally into side grooves provided for the purpose, the residue of such metal forming the lip, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

HOWARD GREER.

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